Veronica’s Room
West End Players Guild
Monday, January 14, 2008 2:32 PM CST
Play: Veronica’s Room
Group: West End Players Guild
Venue: Union Avenue Christian Church, Enright at Delmar
Dates: Jan. 18,19,20
Tickets: $12 and $15; 367-0025
Story: A young man and young woman, on their second date, are dining in a Massachusetts restaurant circa 1973 when they are approached by an elderly couple. The older pair tell the young woman that she bears a striking resemblance to Veronica, a daughter in a wealthy family they serve, and invite the young couple back to their house to show them Veronica’s portrait.
Once they arrive at the home, elderly John and Maureen tell young Susan and Larry that Veronica and her parents have long passed away, and that her surviving sister, Cissy, is seriously ill, both physically and mentally. They convince Susan, over the objections of her date, to impersonate Veronica in her 1930s garb to placate the late woman’s ailing sister, who has been cared for by the servants and her brother Conrad for many years. Susan’s impersonation, however, leads to unexpected developments.
Highlights: Written by Ira Levin, author of such works as Deathtrap, Rosemary’s Baby and The Boys from Brazil, Veronica’s Room is simple and stylish in its approach. The story is relatively straightforward, so much so that even someone not particularly adept at whodunits can figure out what’s happening relatively early. Under Larry Schmidt’s easy-going direction, the two-act production by West End Players Guild moves briskly if predictably.
Other Info:
All in all, it’s a simple, breezy but mostly vacuous evening of theater, nicely told but quickly forgotten.
Rating: A 3 on a scale of 1-to-5.
Group: West End Players Guild
Venue: Union Avenue Christian Church, Enright at Delmar
Dates: Jan. 18,19,20
Tickets: $12 and $15; 367-0025
Story: A young man and young woman, on their second date, are dining in a Massachusetts restaurant circa 1973 when they are approached by an elderly couple. The older pair tell the young woman that she bears a striking resemblance to Veronica, a daughter in a wealthy family they serve, and invite the young couple back to their house to show them Veronica’s portrait.
Once they arrive at the home, elderly John and Maureen tell young Susan and Larry that Veronica and her parents have long passed away, and that her surviving sister, Cissy, is seriously ill, both physically and mentally. They convince Susan, over the objections of her date, to impersonate Veronica in her 1930s garb to placate the late woman’s ailing sister, who has been cared for by the servants and her brother Conrad for many years. Susan’s impersonation, however, leads to unexpected developments.
Highlights: Written by Ira Levin, author of such works as Deathtrap, Rosemary’s Baby and The Boys from Brazil, Veronica’s Room is simple and stylish in its approach. The story is relatively straightforward, so much so that even someone not particularly adept at whodunits can figure out what’s happening relatively early. Under Larry Schmidt’s easy-going direction, the two-act production by West End Players Guild moves briskly if predictably.
Other Info:
All in all, it’s a simple, breezy but mostly vacuous evening of theater, nicely told but quickly forgotten.
Rating: A 3 on a scale of 1-to-5.
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